Present aspects are directed to a braided upper comprising a tubular braided structure, which comprises an internal cavity and a plurality of apertures. The yarn of the tubular braided structure surrounds a perimeter of each of the plurality of apertures. The braided upper comprises a midsole positioned within the internal cavity and comprising a plurality of braid-receiving features mated with the yarn of the tubular braided structure. The braided upper and the midsole are keyed to one another when the yarn is mated with the plurality of braid-receiving features.

A warp knit component that includes a first front weft inlaid yarn that extends through one or more loops in a first warp knit course, and after extending through the one or more loops, the first front weft inlaid yarn extends as a float positioned on a technical face or front side of the warp knit component. After extending as the float, the first front weft inlaid yarn extends through one or more loops in a second warp knit course that is offset in the material flow direction from the first warp knit course. Using floats facilitates the advancement of the first front weft inlaid yarn in the material flow direction.

An article of footwear including a sole, and an upper having a lateral side and a medial side, each including a first lace opening. A lateral lace support and a medial lace support are attached to the sole and positioned adjacent to inner surfaces of the lateral and medial sides of the upper. The lateral lace support has a first length and the medial support has a second length, where the second length is greater than the first length, and each include a second lace opening. A lace is threaded through the first lace openings of the upper and the second lace openings of the lateral lace support and the medial lace support, where an axis extending between the lateral lace support and the medial lace support, after the lace is secured to the upper, is offset from an axis extending from a center of gravity of a user's foot.

Presented are automated manufacturing systems for fabricating engineered textiles, footwear and apparel formed with such engineered textiles, methods for making such engineered textiles, and memory-stored, processor-executable instructions for operating such manufacturing systems. An automated manufacturing system constructs engineered textiles from workpieces composed of superposed, unwoven wires. The system includes a movable end effector bearing a stitching head and an image capture device. The stitching head has a thread feeder and sewing needle to generate stitches. The image capture device captures images of the workpiece and outputs data indicative thereof. A system controller receives this image capture device data and locates, from the captured image of the workpiece, gaps defined between quadrangles of the superposed wires. The controller commands the end effector to sequentially move the stitching head and thereby align the sewing needle with the gaps, and commands the stitching head to insert a succession of stitches within these gaps.

An article of footwear includes a sole structure and an upper that is attached to the sole structure. The upper defines a cavity that is configured to receive a foot of a wearer. The upper is at least partially defined by a textile. The textile includes a first area that is substantially smooth. The first area defines a reference boundary that conforms to the cavity. The textile includes a second area. The second area includes a plurality of projection structures that project away from the reference boundary and outwardly from the cavity at varying heights. The second area includes a plurality of recess structures that recess away from the reference boundary and inwardly toward the cavity. The plurality of projection structures and the plurality of recess structures are in an alternating arrangement across the textile.

A shoe component includes a tongue covering an instep of a foot of a wearer, a medial wing covering a medial midfoot of the wearer, and a lateral wing covering a lateral midfoot of the wearer, in which a part of the tongue on a medial foot side from a center in a foot width direction and the medial wing constitute a medial-foot tongue portion, a part of the tongue on a lateral foot side from the center in the foot width direction and the lateral wing constitute a lateral-foot tongue portion, and at least one of the medial-foot tongue portion and the lateral-foot tongue portion is provided with a tongue eyelet through which a shoelace is threaded.

An article of footwear includes an upper defining apertures spaced apart from one another in a first arrangement. A footwear element has pegs spaced apart from one another in the first arrangement and extending through the apertures in the upper. The pegs are secured at a surface of the upper. A method of manufacturing an article of footwear includes placing a footwear element between an inner layer of an upper and an outer layer of the upper. The footwear element includes at least one peg extending outward toward the outer layer. The method includes inserting the peg through the outer layer so that the peg extends through the outer layer and is exposed at an exterior surface of the outer layer. After inserting the peg of the footwear element through the outer layer of the upper, the peg is secured at the exterior surface of the outer layer.

Articles of footwear and methods of making articles of footwear including one or more continuous threads wound around anchor points. In some embodiments, thread lines of continuous thread(s) may extend tangential to an opening on a thread pattern or an upper. In some embodiments, thread lines of continuous thread(s) may define a portion of an upper and extend through a sole for an article of footwear. In some embodiments, thread patterns defined by the continuous thread(s) may be bonded to each other around a sheet to form an upper material for an upper.

A method for manufacturing an integral shoe blank is provided. In the method, a reinforcement piece is woven by a flat knitting machine during a weave process, and the reinforcement piece is made unperceivable through a subsequent side overturning step when viewing from an exterior of a shoe. Thus, with the reinforcement piece, structural strength of the shoe blank is reinforced while better comfort is provided to the foot by a shoe manufactured from the shoe blank.

A method of producing a component for an article of footwear or apparel or a sporting goods accessory. The method of producing a component includes forming at least a first layer by braiding a first braided tube. Braiding may be performed with an empty braiding center. The method further includes arranging the first layer on a form.